SIDS-3

UN Third Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
(SIDS-3), 1-4 September 2014, Apia, Samoa

Pene Lefale attended the SIDS-3 as a member of the Massey University
delegation. Lefale is an “affiliate” to
the Massey University and GNS Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR). Lefale was one of the panelists for the
Massey University organised Forum on “indigenous approaches to reducing
disaster risk” during SIDS. The keynote speaker for the Forum was Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi,
Head of State of Samoa. Lefale was
tasked with providing overall “reflections and implications for policy and practice”
arising from panelists’ presentations. More than 50 people attended the Forum
and was widely covered in the local media.

The SIDS-3 was the third in a series of UN conferences aimed
at addressing the unique and special challenges and priorities of SIDS. The
first conference was held in Barbados in 1994 and the second in Mauritius in
2005. According to MFAT (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), a total of 297 partnerships between governments,
businesses, civil society and UN entities were announced at SIDS-3. The
partnerships are in the area of Sustainable Economic Development, climate
change and disaster risk management, social development, sustainable energy,
ocean health, water and sanitation, food security and waste management. Of the
297 partnerships announced, almost half (137) were on climate change and
disaster risk management. With over
2,300 international delegates and over 20 Head of States and Head of
Government, the Conference was a success.

The main outcomes of the SIDS-3 are
contained in the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA)
Pathways, the main output from the conference. For more details on
SIDS-3, visit http://sids2014.org/